


Providence

by saraid



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 17:10:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4271295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saraid/pseuds/saraid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their life is good, but there are always problems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Providence

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Somewhere Back of the Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/106420) by [enigmaticblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue). 



> This is written in Enigmatic Blue's Sun 'verse, with her permission.

“Cookies!”

There was a general outcry of delight when Mary brought the plate out of the kitchen. She passed out three snickerdoodles each, the smallest children, Ryan and Cora, getting a glass of milk. The others made do with water and tea. Once again Dean considered the idea of getting a milk cow. They bought or traded from a dairy co-op, but they would only need more milk as the kids grew. He was already worried that Ben wasn’t getting enough, as fast as he was growing. Maybe he should say something to Sam, see if Howl knew where they could get one.

The doorbell rang and everyone got quiet. It was later on Wednesday, a couple hours past dinner, almost bed; late for anyone to come by. They were expecting Sam – it was calving season and he often slept at theirs rather than go all the way into town.

“I’ve got it,” Dean said, levering himself from his chair. The snow had finally melted, but his knee thought it was still too cold. Ben shadowed him while Cas stayed in the living room with the children.

With Ben just out of sight, armed, Dean checked the door, and then opened it, smiling.

“Sam, Howl. What are you doing out so late?”

“Dean,” the man greeted. Ben stepped into sight, lowering the shotgun. “Ben, good man.”

“Come on in,” Dean welcomed. “Mary made cookies. Sam, did you eat?”

They went back into the living room, the kids leaving the couch for the visitors. 

“We ate before we left,” Sam said. “But I’d love some cookies.”

They ate cookies and talked about the ranch and Scout. Henry had her well trained now. 

“Just giving Sam a ride over or is something up?” Dean asked, never quite trusting the world to not screw them.

“Ryan, Cora, time for bed,” Cas said. There wasn’t much whining, it had been a long day of chores and studies. “Henry, Casey, Cal, go start your showers.”

“Want us to go up, dad?” Ben asked. Mary signed quickly at him, and he nodded. “We should clean the kitchen first.” There was sure to be some cookie-making mess.

“That would be great,” Dean said. He leaned forward a little bit – Sam reached over and rebalanced the ice on his knee. “So what’s up?”

It was still cool enough to need a fire. They’d spent several nights in here during the winter. Dean needed to find a solution to the winter power outages, but he wasn’t going to think about that now.

“We’ve got a proposal,” Sam said. “Howl and I.”

“Okay.” 

Cas came and sat on the arm of Dean’s chair, slipping his arm around Dean’s shoulders. There had been a time when Dean would have drawn away from such open affection, but now he leaned into it a little bit, always grateful to have him near.

“I got a letter today,” Howl began. Mail was sporadic but it came, usually with Pastor Joe or someone traveling through. “Couple-a families a ways west, in Loretta, came down last year to homestead. The winter was too hard for ‘em – they packed up and left a week ago.”

“Did they leave anything behind?”

“Some cattle, a couple of horses,” Sam said. “And a couple dairy cows, Dean.”

“You’re kidding. I was just thinking about that,” Dean half-laughed.

“Sam ‘n I have been talking about it,” Howl said. “I knew there would be a time when buying milk wouldn’t work for you. It’s hard on Julia, too.”

“Do we need to go get them?” Cas asked. Dean’s brain was working. They had some gas saved up. If Howl loaned them a trailer… but Dean’s knee wouldn’t put up with a long drive, not right now, after the ice and snow.

“I’ve got it covered,” Howl said. “I’m leaving in the morning. I hate to go in the middle of calving, but I think Sam can handle it. The people in Loretta are keeping them for now, but it’s a strain on their resources. There’s only a handful of families there, no real farms.”

Dean wondered how they survived without farming. That could just mean they didn’t do it commercially. They would have to be self-sufficient, there wasn’t much help to go around, though most people shared as much as they could.

“We’ve got some gas,” Dean offered, exchanging a look with Cas. They didn’t need to talk about this; when a gift dropped in their laps they weren’t going to check the teeth. “But not any cash to spare right now, I’m sorry –“

He felt a little guilty for that. Cas had bought some pain medication for him during the winter, expensive, and, Dean thought, excessive. But he wasn’t sure how he would have gotten through some of those days and nights without it.

Howl waved a hand. “I’m not looking for help with it,” he said. “But Sam will need help on the farm. I’ll be gone for probably four days, depending on the roads.”

“We were thinking Cas could come?” Sam said. “He doesn’t have any experience, but he’s got a light touch and a level head.” 

Dean chuckled. “I dunno,” he looked at Cas. “Want to spend four days delivering calves and getting filthy?” A few times in the past couple of years Sam hadn’t even showered before coming home – they all knew what a dirty job calving was.

“I believe I am up to the task.” Cas nodded gravely. 

“Maybe Henry could come, too?” Sam asked. “We could use someone to run errands and do the smaller chores, since Cas and I aren’t used to working together.”

Dean wondered briefly if Sam was nervous about working with Cas. They had made peace since Sam’s ambivalent arrival, but it had been touch-and-go for a few months.

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Cas said.

“Good experience for the boy,” Howl added.

“I don’t know what we’ll do with cows, though,” Dean said. “We’d need to feed them and we don’t have anywhere to keep them…”

Sam gave him a smug look. “We’ve got it all worked out.”

“Uh-huh,” Smart-ass Sam wasn’t Dean’s favorite version. 

“I’ll keep them at my place for a couple weeks while you get things ready,” Howl said. “Sam and I have worked out a deal for hay –“

“Sam, you can’t support our cows!”

“I’ll be getting milk from them too, for Julia and Aubrey.” He didn’t add that it would also be for the kids he and Julia were hoping to have. “You’ll have the day-to-day upkeep.”

“And if that doesn’t sound fair,” Howl said, “I wouldn’t object to young Henry coming out an afternoon or two a week to pitch in.”

“That’s a great idea,” Dean said. He was subtly pushing Henry toward becoming a veterinarian. The boy was gifted with animals and it was something that would always be needed. Ben’s job was supporting the family, mostly through hunting and fishing and, this winter, trapping. As next oldest boy, Henry would probably like having more responsibility. Casey wouldn’t love it, but Cal would still be home with her. The three could be responsible for the care of the new animals as well. They were old enough for more. “But we still don’t know anything about cows.”

“You’ll learn,” Sam said.

“I expect at least one of them will be pregnant,” Howl added. “We can talk later about what you’ll do with calves – you have to have them to get milk, of course. It’s not as hard as some people make it out to be.”

It was settled. Howl was going to pick up the stock – there were several head of cattle for him as well as the horses and the dairy cows, he was going to go whether they wanted them or not.

“I would have found someone to take them,” he told Dean. “I don’t want to run dairy cattle. I’m a beef man.”

“I know you don’t really want to be a farmer, Dean,” Sam said, and snickered. “Farmer Dean. Yeah. But it’s just a couple of cows.”

“To go with the dog and the chickens…” Dean pretended to groan. Then he paused to listen. They had been talking a while, and he hadn’t heard much from the kitchen. Ben and Mary may have gotten distracted. “Ben! Mary!” he called. “Come hear the newest plans!”

The teenagers appeared in the doorway, looking flushed and a little rumpled. Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Is the kitchen clean?”

“Mostly?” Ben suggested, and Mary blushed.

“Well, we’ve got plans.” Dean gestured at the second couch.

 

Everything was talked out. Sam was off to bed, Mary and Ben too. Howl had headed home. Dean was reclining on the bed, propped on a couple of pillows, his leg elevated, watching Cas pick up some scattered clothes, putting them in the hamper. He was enjoying the sight, Cas’ body stronger and harder than it was when they met, hard work paying off.

“Come to bed,” he said with a smile. Cas glanced at him and returned it. They were caught for a moment, eyes meeting.

“I think this is a good thing,” Cas said as he slid in beside him, curling around Dean so his head was on Dean’s shoulder. They wrapped each other up under the covers and Dean released a slow, deep breath.

“Yeah.”

“We’ll have to work on the pasture fence,” Cas said.

“And the shed. Howl said it’s for milking. And the other one, for bad weather.”

“Do cows not live inside?”

“Apparently not,” Dean shrugged. “And we’ve got to get water out there.”

“The children can carry it.”

“I don’t know how big the pasture needs to be.” Dean was fretting now. “Do we need a place to store the hay? What if they get sick? Will we need to pasteurize the milk?”

Cas cut him off with a firm kiss. Dean just looked up at him. There were still dark circles under his eyes, and new lines on his face. It hadn’t been their hardest winter, but they were never easy.

“This is a good thing. We’re well able to handle it.”

Dean sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. “Yeah, okay.”

“Tomorrow is soon enough,” Cas told him. “Tonight, I have other plans.”

“Oh yeah?” Dean quirked a grin. “What kind of plans?”

“The kind you will need to keep quiet for.” Cas grinned back and slid down the bed, nudging Dean’s good leg to the side and reaching for the waist of his boxers.

“I can be quiet.”

“We’ll see.” Cas nuzzled into the crease between hip and thigh and Dean grabbed his shoulders.

 

After breakfast the next morning – eggs and biscuits – Dean sat at the kitchen table with his battered spiral notebook. Paper was becoming rare, but they had picked up a bunch of cheap ones the last time they made a shopping trip to Sioux Falls. They were necessary, for schoolwork and just keeping track of things. Right now Dean was making a list of the preparations they needed to make to – have cows.

He groaned softly. Cows. Might as well get some overalls and start chewing straw.

It would be a big relief to know the kids were getting everything they needed. 

Cas had gone with Sam, taking Henry with them, Ben had taken the younger kids into town for lessons. He was going to check through Julia’s books and then go to the library – it wasn’t open all the time, but they would trust him to go in by himself and look there. For books on having livestock.

Mary didn’t much like going into town, she never had. She liked school, and the piano lessons she’d gotten from Julia – she still played at Julia’s house. It was too bad they couldn’t get one, it would be nice for the younger kids to learn, too. 

It would be a little bit easier if Mary could drive the kids into town herself, but Dean didn’t think he could ask it of her. She was a competent young woman, and she would have translators, as everyone but Cal was fluent in ASL, but there was always the chance something would go wrong. So they had to wait until this afternoon to get started. 

They’d done alright with the chickens, even though they must have missed quite a few eggs because there were a couple batches of fluffy yellows chicks in the yard. Cora was thrilled, she loved to catch them and pet them. She was very gentle with them, Cas had taken care to show her how to handle them.

Cows were a whole ‘nother story.

He looked down at his notebook and sighed. It was a longer list than he’d been expecting. 

Nothing to do but get started.

 

The pasture was bigger than he’d thought. They’d never really walked the fence, having never used it. 

It was afternoon; Ben and the others had returned. He’d recruited Ben, Casey and Cal to check the fence with him, leaving Mary to watch the two younger kids and do house chores. They were in the Willys, Ben driving carefully through the new spring grass, Dean biting his lips when they hit bumps and dips. They had a shotgun and Dean’s 1911 on the seat between them. 

He had the notebook and was drawing it out as they went.

“It’s pretty good here,” Casey announced, trotting back from where he’d been ranging ahead. “No breaks for another twenty feet.”

“Okay, great,” Dean told her. She and her brother climbed back in and Ben drove them further, until they came to a break. The fence was mostly post-and-rail, with a few patched spots of old barbed wire. Dean wanted to get rid of those, too dangerous. After Henry’s tetanus infection they weren’t taking any chances with old wire.

“Here, Papa Dean,” Casey said, hopping out again. Dean felt a brief flash of envy. He remembered being that quick. “We’ll measure.”

She and Cal took the big tape measure and called out numbers which Dean wrote down. They were about halfway around and he knew now that this was a much bigger job than he’d expected. The previous owner of the house, the hunter Shep, hadn’t had much thought for farming.

Ben looked over. He considered it and then pointed. “Dad, look – if we put a shorter fence here –“over by the barn, near the sheds –“then we could rebuild closer.”

“It would be smaller,” Dean said, but he’d been thinking the same thing.

“It’s only two cows, right?”

“I think there will be calves, too. So we can get milk.” He was pretty sure that’s how it worked.

“But they aren’t going to need that much room. We can expand later, but for now –“

Howl was going to be back in three days. Dean wasn’t sure they could do even that much in time.

“I was thinking we just cut off that corner,” he sketched, showing Ben what he meant. Build across the corner nearest the barn, enclosing the sheds and creating a triangular area. The fence closest to the barn was in the best shape. “We can use the wood from this area here,” he gestured at the part of the fence on the other side.

“Then work on enlarging it over the summer,” Ben grinned.

“Exactly.” Dean smiled back at his son. He was so fucking proud of him.

“Casey, Cal,” he called. They had ranged ahead again. “We’ve figured it out, we’re done for today.”

“Okay!” Casey yelled. They trotted back. Cal ducked down and grabbed a big handful of grass and threw it at her – she shrieked and reached down for her own ammo. 

Dean just watched. He was happy to see Cal playing. The boy had begun to loosen up and settle in. He’d begun to trust them. It was a good thing to see. There might be more kids in the future, but each one was special.

After a few minutes he called them again. Now extra dirty, they tumbled back into the jeep and squirmed into place, arguing cheerfully.

“We’ll get started tomorrow,” Dean told Ben.

 

Keeping up with Ben wasn’t an option for Dean. He did his best, knocking planks loose and hammering on wobbly fence posts, but left the lifting and carrying to the kids. Ben was doing the brunt of the work, Cal and Casey and Ryan doing their part but unable to compete with the strong teen.

“I want to hammer,” Ryan complained. 

“Okay, here,” Dean offered the small sledge he’d been using. The planks weren’t on all that tightly; a few good whacks usually got them loose. The wood was grey and weathered but mostly in good condition. 

He wrapped his hands over Ryan’s small ones and guided him in a swing at the next fence rail; wide vertical planks nailed to round posts. 

“I can do it!” Ryan objected.

“Okay.” Dean let go and took a slow step back, checking his footing carefully. As long as he stood firm he was okay, but a fall would be a disaster.

Ryan banged on the rail a few times, making it vibrate a little. He stopped, frowned, and then tried again.

“Put your back into it,” Dean said. “Like this.” He took the boy’s shoulders and showed him how to pull back and follow through on the swing using his body and not just his arms. Ryan’s next hit was harder.

Ben and the others were paused by the back of the Willys, which was filling up. This would be their second load, the jeep didn’t hold that much. Dean briefly wished they had a truck for this. 

“Here, dad,” Ben brought over a bottle of water. They reused all the plastic bottles they found, so this one was cloudy and misshapen, but full. He drank, watching Ryan continue to beat at the fence. 

“Ryan, can I help?” Ben asked.

The boy must have been getting tired because he agreed. The rail was free in a few swings and Ryan drug it over to the jeep himself.

“Want a break?” Ben asked Dean. He nodded, turning to limp over to the jeep and haul himself into the seat. Ben started knocking off planks and the others continued to drag them around. It wasn’t long until he thought they had a full load.

“Let’s take a break.” It wasn’t dinner time yet, but they had all been working hard. They went back to the house for apple slices and peanut butter. He was pleased to see Cal eating as eagerly as the others. Casey’s brother seemed to really be settling in.

“I don’t think we’re going to get finished in time,” he told Ben as they ate. Mary listened, then signed.

“Howl said he’d keep them for a couple of weeks if we need him to.”

“I’m sure he will,” Dean answered. “I just don’t want to impose too much.”

“It’s not like he’s going to notice a couple extra cows,” Ben said. Mary nodded. 

They spent the time until dinner unloading the wood and sorting it, into usable and unusable. A surprising amount of it was still good, sturdy planks and posts they could use to reshape the pasture. The cows would be getting hay a good part of the year, but he needed to know how much grass they would need. Ben had brought several books, including ‘The Backyard Cow’, which looked helpful. 

 

They spent the evening spread out; Dean and Ben read, while the kids did their thing. Ryan and Cora got into it over a board game, which led to Casey quitting. Mary took the two of them up to bed early; Dean figured they were just overtired. 

“You three,” he caught the trio’s attention when the little ones were gone. “I want to talk to you.”

“Yes, Papa Dean,” Henry answered for all of them, and they came to sit on the floor in front of his chair, Casey between the two boys.

“So, we’re getting these cows,” he began. They all nodded, taking it very seriously. “There’s going to be some changes in chores. Cas and I talked about it and we think you should be responsible for them. That means that Ryan and Cora will be taking over weeding the garden and feeding the chickens, and you three will be feeding and watering the cows, as well as cleaning up after them.”

“Ew,” Casey made a face. “Cow poop?”

“If we want milk, yeah.”

“Will we milk them, too?’

“Every morning and every night,” Dean told him. “It’s a lot of work.”

“And churning butter,” Ben added, smirking. “That sounds like a job.”

“You’re not helping,” Dean told him. He could hear Ryan upstairs, protesting something, but he couldn’t make out the words. “Go see if Mary needs backup.”

“I got it.” Ben got up, handing his book on animal husbandry to Henry as he passed. “Cal, can you get Dad a new ice pack?”

“Baby calves are cute,” Casey said, looking at the book with Henry. “I want to see them born.”

“I don’t know how many we’ll have,” Dean said, “But at least one, I think. But you’ll have to get up every morning and go out every night. At least two of you – we don’t want any of you doing it alone. How you work it out is up to you. And Henry will be gone at least once a week.”

“We can do it,” Cal said, coming over with the ice pack. Dean held back a sigh of relief when the numbing coolness spread over the ache, he’d worked it too hard today, and he would do it again tomorrow. He’d decided when he got hurt; he was going to do as much as he could as long as he could. No sense worrying any further ahead of than that.

“I know you can,” he smiled at them. He had great kids, even when they argued and squabbled and backsassed. They were kids, and that was just the way he and Cas wanted them.

Mary came back down, leaving Ben to read a story, and picked up her mending. Dean was a little concerned about how much extra work the livestock was going to add. Ryan and Cora were old enough to do more, but he didn’t want to put too much on Mary’s shoulders, she already did a lot. With Henry, Casey and Cal busier, she and Cas would have to put in more time in the garden. He was just going to have to start doing more stuff he hated, like folding laundry. At least he could do that sitting down.

 

It took all three days to get the fence half built, and they hadn’t even started on the milking shed and lean-to. Cas came home exhausted, unused to the level of physical labor he was undertaking. Sam told him repeatedly they he was doing a great job, and told Henry he was a big help.

They were all up when Howl drove into the yard that evening. Mary had saved him a plate of dinner – ham and potatoes and fresh peas. Dean was sure of one thing – they might have cows, but he drew the line at pigs. He and John had dealt with a poltergeist at a pig farm once and the smell had haunted him for days after.

“Hello, hello,” Howl climbed out of the truck slowly, clearly a bit stiff from the ride. The kids crowded around but Cas motioned them back, wanting to give the man a chance to catch his breath and maybe eat before they got into anything.

At the kitchen table, the kids with cookies, Howl with a dinner plate, Dean tried to keep the questioning down, but Howl didn’t seem to mind.

“You got yourself two pretty Jerseys,” he told them. “Only a couple years old, and both expecting.”

“What are their names?” Cora asked, her face bright with excitement.

“I don’t know. You’ll have to think of something.”

“Oh! Princess!” she declared. Everyone else groaned and made noises of dissent.

“I think that Henry, Casey and Cal should name them,” Cas said. “They’re going to be caring for them.”

“What do you name cows, Papa Cas?” Henry asked.

“I believe that traditionally they are named after flowers,” Cas said with a smile.

“Buttercup,” Casey said seriously. She was a big fan of The Princess Bride.

“I like Buttercup,” Cal said.

“What else?” Cas asked.

“Petunia,” Dean said. “Daffodil. Iris.”

“Pansy,” Ben joined in. “Rose. Um, Snapdragon.”

“Snapdragon?” Henry seemed outraged. Everyone laughed.

Mary signed “Daisy.” 

“Daisy,” Henry said. “I like Daisy.” He exchanged looks with Casey and Cal – they nodded in agreement. “Buttercup and Daisy.”

“Those are good cow names,” Cas told them.

“Shall we go see them?” Howl asked, standing up from the table. Henry took his plate to the sink.

The younger kids were bouncing with excitement as they went to the trailer. They turned on the outside light to everyone could see, Ben and Dean had flashlights. It was clear night, with half a moon and lots of stars. Not too dark.

“Henry, you’re with me,” Howl said. He opened the back of the trailer. It had a gate in the middle, the cows in the front half. Together they pulled down a battered metal ramp. When it was down he handed Henry a rope, and then went to the middle gate. “Just wait there a minute.”

After slipping through the gate he clipped the rope to the halter of the smaller cow. It was too dark inside the trailer to get a good look at them, but them Henry was leading the first one out. She took the ramp calmly and stood waiting patiently as they all got a look at her.

“She’s pretty,” Cal said. He sounded surprised.

“I think this one is Buttercup,” Henry said.

“Yeah,” Casey agreed.

The cow wasn’t too big, not nearly as big as Dean had expected. When he thought of dairy cows he thought of the big black-and-white ones. This cow – Buttercup – was smaller, with a deer-like head and dainty horns. She had patches of cream and light brown. Fawn, he would call it.

Howl led out the second cow. She was a little bit bigger, but not much, and a little bit darker. They’d be able to tell them apart. Both cows had bulging middles, making Dean think of the calves they were carrying. It was calving season, they’d probably have them soon.

“We’re just staying a minute,” he said. “Let everyone have a look at each other.”

“We should have the fence finished by Friday,” Dean told him.

“No hurry. I imagine you’ll have a couple calves by then, too.”

If the calves were born at Howl’s then Dean wouldn’t have to worry about it. He was afraid something was going to go wrong. Though Sam assured him that most cows had no trouble, and Cas backed him up.

“Come say hi,” Howl said. The kids crowded around and petted Daisy and Buttercup, some nervously and others enthusiastically. Ryan patted Buttercup’s nose while Cora gingerly stroked her neck. Dean saw Mary running her hand over Daisy’s swollen belly and shared a glance with Cas. She and Ben didn’t plan to have children soon, but there was a look in her eye. Dean hoped they would wait. They deserved to have some time to themselves, as much as they could, before they tied themselves down so tightly.

After twenty minutes or so Howl told them to say goodbye. Dean laughed when Casey impulsively kissed Buttercup’s nose. Then Howl had them loaded back up, with plan to return them on Saturday, giving them an extra day to finish the fence and hopefully the lean-to.

“I’ll look through my barns and see what kind of equipment I can find for you,” he told them. “Some things came with them, but others, like a cream separator, that will be harder to come by.”

At least Dean knew what that was. He had no idea how to do it manually, not yet, but he knew they would figure it out.

He went to sleep with Cas snoring softly next to him. It had been a long four days, Cas too tired for more than a kiss at bedtime, and he was looking forward to starting their new schedule.

 

Sam came home on Thursday with good news.

“You’ve got a healthy little heifer,” he told them as soon as he got in the door. “Buttercup didn’t have any trouble at all – we found them in their pen first thing this morning.”

“Baby cow!” Cora was excited

“A calf,” Casey corrected. Dean just shook his head.

“Farmer Dean,” Sam teased. “Daisy hasn’t had her calf yet. Howl hopes it’s a bull – otherwise we won’t have a dairy bull to breed them to. We’d still get milk from Buttercup and Daisy and the calf eventually, but we could provide dairy cows to families that need them, if we have a couple calves a year.”

“So we don’t end up with a herd,” Dean agreed.

“We might keep one more,” Cas said. He looked over at Ben and Mary. “Maybe give it as a wedding present.”

Ben rolled his eyes and Mary blushed a little, but Dean really liked the idea. Ben and Mary would have kids eventually, it would be good to provide for them that way.

“Casey, Cal, the table,” he said. “Henry, you and Ryan are on dishes.”

Cora had done her share by ‘helping’ Mary cook, and both little ones had been working in the garden that morning. It was new to them, the higher workload, and Dean worried that they would rebel against it, but all of the kids, Cal included, recognized that the only way the household worked was if everyone did their share. Since the cows weren’t here yet, and Ben and Dean had been doing the majority of the fencing, the trio was concentrating on the sheds and building a hay crib in the barn – as far away from Baby as they could get it.

“Tell him we’ll be ready for them tomorrow afternoon,” Dean told Sam.

“We’ll bring them over in the evening.”

“Mary, I’ll take the little ones up tonight,” Cas said. “You need a break.”

Her face lit up. The library had gotten several new books in trade and Dean knew she had one to read. She signed ‘Thank you’ enthusiastically.

“Headed straight to bed?” Dean asked Sam.

“Today wasn’t too bad. Want to play some cards?”

“Yeah.” 

Ben got their battered deck from the study, and sat to join them. Henry, Cal and Casey sat around to watch.

“You guys have any homework?” Sam asked before Dean could. He knew that they did.

“You can watch while you work,” Dean told them. All three were good students, especially Casey and Cal. They seemed to really appreciate the chance to learn. Dean knew that their mother had taught them before she died, so it had been important to her.

Henry and Casey had math, not his favorite subject, but she liked it more. Cal had English, hand-written pages of grammar exercises. Julia put a lot of time and effort into her lessons.

They played Texas Hold ‘Em, for beans. They all tried to cheat at least once. Dean got away with it, but caught Sam and Ben. The game ended with one big all-in pot that he took with three Aces, making the others groan.

“I know dad didn’t teach you how to cheat like that,” Sam complained. “He hated you playing cards.”

“And I’ll hate it if you do it,” Dean told Ben, picking up his winnings and pouring them bean jar. They were still edible, after a rinse.

Ben held up both hands. “I have no plans to become a card shark.”

Mary came into the room, book under her arm. She got to the end of the table and signed ’You better not’. Sam and Dean laughed.

“I’m sure Julia feels the same way,” Dean added. “Henry, Casey, Cal – up to bed. Showers.”

“Can you check my work, Papa Dean?” Cal asked hesitantly.

“Of course.” Dean started to stand, but Sam put a hand on his shoulder and Cal hurried to bring his work to Dean’s seat. “Not an invalid,” Dean grumbled. 

Ben left with Mary and Sam stayed to watch Dean and Cal. Dean rested a hand carefully on the boy’s shoulder as he leaned over the pages.

“I think this is supposed to be ‘they’re’, Dean said, re-reading the sentence. “Sam, what do you think?”

Sam joined them, standing on Dean’s side and leaning over his brother where he sat.

“No, he’s right – it’s ‘their’,” he said.

“I dunno. Should we take his word for it?” Dean asked Cal. The boy hesitated, clearly unsure. 

“I did better in English than you did,” Sam protested, teasing.

“But I did better in French,” Dean stuck out his tongue.

“Ew! Run, Cal, I’ll cover your escape!” Sam said, laughing.

“It’s right,” Dean told him. “Go get ready for bed. You did a good job.”

 

They finished the fence just in time. Washing up, they heard Howl’s truck crunch on the gravel outside, and the quieter clank of the trailer. Dean didn’t get a chance to say anything to the kids – they were out the door faster than he could speak.

“Daisy!” Cora shouted. “Buttercup!”

“Come on, Papa Dean!” Ryan echoed.

He took it carefully down the front steps, hand on the rail. It had become normal for him, avoiding potential falls. The last thing he wanted was to screw up his knee any worse.

How was just getting out of the truck, the kids gathered around him. Ben and Mary hung back, trying to look too cool for livestock. Daisy was led out first, Howl handing the lead rope to Henry, and then came Buttercup, with her calf beside her. Howl picked the calf up and set her on the ground, where her mother gave her a good once-over, sniffing and licking.

“She’s pretty,” Mary signed.

“Really pretty,” Cora agreed.

Dean couldn’t argue with that. The calf was small and slender, with white-white patches against faint fawn. Her eyes were huge and dark. She quickly became annoyed with her mother’s care and turned to nurse, butting her head against Buttercup’s udder insistently. Everyone laughed.

“Let’s get them settled, then I can show you what else I found.”

It was a slow walk to the newly-created pasture, with the calf tottering a bit. Halfway there Ben went around and picked her up the way Howl had, holding her against his chest. 

“Thank you, Ben,” Dean said.

The pasture was ready, with a full trough and an empty hay crib. The adults left the children with the cattle and went back to the trailer to unload twenty-four bales of hay. Howl was telling them how much of it to feed every day. They stacked it neatly in the barn and Sam showed Dean how to snip the wire and separate it into four inch wide flakes, to be carried out to the field. The cows began munching happily.

“Alright,” Howl said. “I’ve got a few more things.”

Cora was pulling little handfuls of hay and offering them to the calf, who was not interested. The others were discussing names for her.

“Rose, Iris, Thistle,” Ben suggested.

Mary signed “No.” and made a face at each one.

“Delphinium,” Casey said with a giggle.

“Hyacinth.” From Henry. Cal was clearly thinking about his, while Ryan and Cora were arguing for Lilypad.

“That’s not a flower,” Casey protested.

“Tulip!” Cal said.

“Yeah, Tulip!” Henry and Casey backed him at once. Cas stepped in.

“I think we have a winner. The calf will be named Tulip.”

The trio high-fived.

It was beginning to get dark. Dean went with the other adults to unload the rest of Howl’s find.

“Got you some pails for milking,” the older man said, handing them out. Four stainless steel five-gallon buckets. “You can use those for milking and to pasteurize the milk on the stove.”

“Thank you,” Cas said. “I’ve read about it, that won’t be too hard.”

“Some old plastic milk jugs.” There was a box of them. “Clean ‘em out and use them for storage. You can freeze milk in them too. For back-up, in case one of the cows goes dry.”

“I read that they’ll give about two gallons a day, as long as they’re nursing calves,” Dean said, looking through the box. There were no caps for the jugs, but they would figure something out. “I don’t think we’ll need four gallons a day.”

“Two gallons a day for us,” Cas said. “Maybe three, for butter and cream.”

“Speaking o’ that, you know you can use anything to churn butter, right? Even one of those jugs. You skim the cream off while the milk’s boiling, cool it and pour it into a jug. Then you just shake it for a while. The kids’ll be good at it.”

Dean couldn’t imagine what fresh butter would taste like. And the whole milk was extra calories, extra fat, extra protein and calcium that would be there even when things were tight. 

“A gallon for Julia and Aubrey and I,” Sam added, hefting the box. It didn’t weigh much.

“When you wean the calves you should get up to five gallons,” Howl told them. “I had a word with Maryanne. She’d be happy to sell the extra for you when you have it.”

“We’d have to find a way to store it,” Cas said. 

“Those beer bottles!” Dean nodded, walking carefully beside Cas, who was carrying the pails. “Shep left crates of them.”

“He did like to make beer,” Howl agreed.

“There are two large glass containers as well,” Cas said.

“Howl,” Dean said as the others put things away. “We’d like to give some of it away. I know there are families around here that can’t afford much.”

“We should ask Maryanne to manage that,” Cas slipped an arm around Dean’s waist and Dean leaned into him, grateful for the support. “She will know who needs it the most.”

“She can distribute it, yeah,” Howl agreed.

“Not until we have enough saved for emergencies,” Cas told him. Dean nodded his agreement with that.

Back out in the pasture, Howl directed Henry and Casey and Cal to move the hay into the trough in the newly-refurbished milking shed. Daisy, Buttercup and Tulip followed lazily.

“From now on, you put the hay in here, morning and night,” Howl told the three. “They need to be milked tonight, and then every morning and every night from now on.”

“It’s a lot of work,” Sam said.

“We can do it,” Henry said stoutly, Casey and Cal beside him.

“Let me show you how to do it.”

Howl pulled over an old stump they’d found in the shed and sat on it. He put the pail he was carrying under Daisy and gave her a few soft pats on the belly.

“You’ll have a big calf from this one. Hopefully a nice bull.”

“Why a bull?” Cora asked. “I like girl cows.”

“Time for bed,” Cas said. “You’ve been up late enough tonight.”

“No, I want to see!” Cora protested, but Ryan rubbed his eyes. He was fighting off sleep.

The milking lesson didn’t take long. Henry and Cal got the hang of it quickly, but Casey struggled a bit. Sam crouched down beside her and covered her hands with his.

“Here, Tough Stuff, let me try.”

He did a deliberately bad job, making faces, and she laughed at him. After a few more minutes they had it, and the bucket was halfway full when Howl had them change over to Buttercup.

“Do we need to leave some for Tulip?” Casey asked.

“The more you take, the more she’ll make,” Howl answered. “Leave too much in her and she’ll be uncomfortable come morning. They’re only meant to hold so much.”

After the milking the trio spent a few minutes brushing the animals, Casey concentrating on Tulip. Howl said it wasn’t necessary, but they liked it.

“Okay, time to go. You’ll be getting up earlier tomorrow,” Dean told them.

The cows followed them to the gate as they left. While saying goodbye to Howl they agreed that Henry would go to his place one afternoon a week, on Mondays. Dean thought that wasn’t enough, but he wasn’t going to argue about it.

Cas had to re-arrange the fridge to fit in the full bucket of milk. “I’ll pasteurize it in the morning,” he said. “We’ve enough left of the dairy milk for breakfast.”

“We’ll need more gas if we’re going to be taking milk into town every day,” Dean was in his usual chair, an ice pack on his knee. It was dark outside, they should have already been in bed.

“We don’t have to take it every day,” Cas replied. “We can keep it refrigerated here, take it every other day, or every day the children have lessons.”

“Right, right,” Dean swallowed back a yawn. Cas caught it, came to him.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said, helping Dean up. “We start a new schedule in the morning.”

“Cows,” Dean sighed. “Cows.”

“Farmer Dean.”

“Call me that again and I’m cutting you off.”

“I’m sure I can convince you otherwise.”


End file.
